He means his life in soccer, which comes in two parts - amateur and professional.

From December to August, he serves as general manager and assistant coach of the Western Mass. Pioneers, a pro team that plays United Soccer Leagues Second Division.

From September to November, he shifts to his new life as head coach of boys soccer at Ludlow High School.

In each case, he bears a heavy burden. It's called tradition.

With the Pioneers, he works to continue what the Gremio-Lusitano Club carried forth for so many years, bringing high-quality professional soccer to Ludlow, a town that has loved the sport since the 1920s.

With Ludlow High, the burden gets even heavier. There, he's the new guy on the job, shadowed by coaching giants Angelo Teixeira, John Kurty, Ray Yando and Tony Goncalves.

In the tough-act-to-follow department, start with Goncalves. He holds Ludlow records for coaching longevity (32 years) and Western Massachusetts championships (11).

When he retired after the 2007 season, Ludlow school officials knew exactly where to turn. Greg K had been Tony's assistant for 21 years. Who could be a better candidate?

"I said, wait a minute, I'm about ready to retire myself after all those years with Tony. But they wanted me. What could I do? I had to take it," he said.

His association with Goncalves goes back to 1979, when, as a freshman, he was "a ball boy" on a state championship team.

When Kolodziey accepted the Ludlow job, he did so knowing full well what would be expected of him - another WMass championship to go with the 28 won by his predecessors.

By the way, that total doesn't even include the 11 "mythical" titles Ludlow rightfully claimed as the region's dominant power in the years before the WMass Tournament began in 1949.

What pressure, eh?

"A little pressure, yes, but our kids are well aware of the tradition and history. They understand what it means to play for Ludlow," he said.

They understand, and they respond. That's why the Lions did, indeed, give their new coach the school's 29th WMass title Sunday when they nipped Amherst-Pelham Regional 1-0.

"Amherst was very tough on us when we played them near the end of the regular season (a 3-0 Ludlow loss). They're a very good team with an outstanding goalkeeper. We made some adjustments from our last game, stuck one in the net early, and held on," Kolodziey said.

His Lions are led by Michael Jordan - how's that for a winning sports name?

'Don't congratulate me for winning Western Mass. Coaches don't step on the field. The players did it," Kolodziey said.

Yes, but in the end, who carries the burden of Ludlow's soccer tradition?